we haven't flown with Dahlia since she was about 8 months old, so there are obviously different issues now, like toys etc. Any recommendations for stuff to do with her on the plane? I doubt she will nap, but we have a 1.5 hour flight followed by a 5.5 hour one and I am afraid I will not be able to entertain her! we will use Iphones/Ipods for some videos etc but she's not too interested in screens for the most part. I read on another board about a mom who gift-wrapped a bunch of tiny toys/boxes of raisins etc and had her kid open them periodically, which is kind of interesting. Oh and I purchased this 'cause books oughta hold her attention for about half an hour or so:http://www.amazon.com/Nutshell-Library-Caldecott-Collection-Maurice/dp/0060255005/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311878471&sr=1-1

but does anyone have any other toys or games you think would be helpful and portable? I have a feeling looking out the window and walking around will be big with her too. Also, we aren't bringing a car seat, so has anyone here used one of those CARES harnesses?

I think it's going to take 18 or 19 hours to get over to the UK, so we've got a super long flight ahead of us, too.Besides your suggestions, I was thinking coloring books and crayons and laptops or portable dvd players so they can watch the stuff that they like. Zola's pretty excited that there will be people bringing her juice (the kids love juice, but I rarely let them have it).Zola's afraid of heights, so gazing out the window is probably out for her, but Felix will probably enjoy it.I'm looking forward to more suggestions!

We flew with the Emperor on a 7 hr flight when he was a bit younger, like 1.5. The big recommendation people kept giving me then was to get specifically new objects for him to play with on the plane. (Someone gave me the sort of crazy sounding guideline of 1 new toy for every 10 minutes you'll be on the plane.) I really like the idea of wrapping up a bunch of little things so the kid can unwrap them, though of course, as with bringing anything wrapped through security, there's a non-zero chance they'll make you unwrap ALL of them at the checkpoint.

We ended up getting the Emperor a play food set that had a ton of pieces in it and giving it to him on the flight when he got antsy. Really, we could have gotten through without it. We brought lots of snack (a fun distraction) and got a complimentary pair of headphones for him. He really liked listening to the inflight radio. He wasn't big into watching things at that point either but enjoyed playing with the buttons on the screen a lot.

We brought library books with us, because I figured they would combine books (a lightweight, possibly long-lasting entertainment source) with the idea of showing him something new.

Some airlines will try to seat you up front or in back if you are travelling with a kid and you mention it during check-in. We got to sit up front on both flights with the Emperor and that was nice from a parent point of view-- no one for him to kick in front of us, and the couple of minutes that he fussed over both flights, I felt like fewer people were being disturbed.

we just flew a few days before the little man's 2nd birthday to and from Arizona for my brother's wedding and new stuff was helpful- i should have brought even more, as were interested strangers- but my son is so extroverted, i think he thought that the plane was an opportunity to meet 200 new people. We had him as a lap child and at basically 2 it was hard- luckily it was my hubby and i, so we could keep him from kicking others, but if we could have afforded it, i would have gotten him a seat of his own.

One of my nanny girls travels a good bit..her favorite distractions were things for imaginative play (sets of small dolls/clothes or some play animals, etc.) and stickers. Books too.

Ditto to talking to the flight crew when boarding. If you can sit behind the bulkhead, you can often make a play space on the floor. If yo let them know ahead, the flight attendants may be able to move you to rows with extra empty seats too.

To keenonquinoa....for 18/19 hours, are you talking total travel time, airport and all? Even from California, a flight to the UK shouldn't be more than about 11 or 12 hours max. Not that this is a whole lot better, but it's something. :D

To keenonquinoa....for 18/19 hours, are you talking total travel time, airport and all? Even from California, a flight to the UK shouldn't be more than about 11 or 12 hours max. Not that this is a whole lot better, but it's something. :D

Yeah, that's total travel time. Going through customs and security is not going to be much fun, either. They won't have the patience to stand in line. Hopefully, once we get through, we'll have a bit of a layover and they can burn off some energy. I can't say that chasing them through a busy airport is going to be much fun for me, though.

Ooh, fun. Maybe if you're lucky, the airport will open up one of those "family friendly lanes" at security. I don't see them all the time, but we had them a couple of times when we traveled in June/July.

As for chasing them through the airport, sometimes that helps! I remember one particularly long wait at the airport when I spent a good while running with two kids about 5/8, backward against the moving walkway. If the airport's packed of course, moving around is harder.

Zola will be 4 and Felix will be 2 1/2. I'm a little worried they'll run off while we're waiting in line. They can get up to some real hijinks together. He'll run off because she thinks it's funny, and she'll chase him because he thinks it's funny, and my chasing after them and telling them to stop just makes it absolutely hilarious to them. I might have to employ a baby leash/lead with Felix, at least until we get through security and customs.

Looking for travel toy advice! we've got the same trip lined up (plane from NYC to San Diego) at the end of this month and well, Dahlia is a year older and I don't know what to pack. Ideally I want to have enough stuff to amuse her BUT I will break out the portable DVD player if necessary. I just bought some WikkiStix and a Slinky. Some websites about this sort of topic also suggest tape and Post-its as toys! Also, we got her her own backpack (a froggy one!) so she can carry some of her own stuff since we have Sierra's stuff now too.

my other concern is: do I buy a cloth pull-up for the airplane? Dahlia was newly potty-trained for the last trip and did really really well in the airport (we ended up with a nightmare 5hour layover), BUT the bathroom on the airplane really freaked her out, to the point where we put the diapers we'd brought for overnights on her. I'm inclined to think, hey, it's a year later and she'll be fine but I also don't want to deal with changing wet (or god forbid poopy) pants on the airplane while also wrangling Sierra, if she ends up being too freaked out by the bathroom.

and what shall I bring for snacks for her? Its a 6 hour direct flight, no layover this time!

My kid isn't potty trained, so no personal experience yet, but I think a couple pull-ons for Dahlia is a good idea. Little kids can't hold it very long, and sometimes, it can be a long time that the flight crew won't let you out of your seat, and the last thing you want to deal with is an accident. Especially important if there's a chance that she will be freaked out by the plane bathroom!

On our last flight, we brought a new Magna Doodle along, and it was a big hit. They make travel ones where the stylus is attached to the board, so there are no parts to lose.

haha yep those Magna Doodles rule - we got her the travel one for last year's trip and someone gifted her a full-size one too later, and she still plays with them both all the time.

Also, I'm probably overthinking the toy thing - on the flight home last time she just kinda wanted to snuggle between us in her seat and look around for most of the time, it was rather awesome. But yeah, bigger and older and 6 hours straight this time. Ooh I'll have to get some Android apps for her on my phone.

So, we have been going on some LOOOOONNNNG car rides lately, and something that has kept Felix (4) occupied is comic book/graphic novels. We have these massive volumes of Calvin and Hobbes, and he'll just look through them for ages.

_________________Gwyneth Paltrow: "I'm superstitious. Whenever I start a new movie I kill a hobo with a hammer."

my other concern is: do I buy a cloth pull-up for the airplane? Dahlia was newly potty-trained for the last trip and did really really well in the airport (we ended up with a nightmare 5hour layover), BUT the bathroom on the airplane really freaked her out, to the point where we put the diapers we'd brought for overnights on her. I'm inclined to think, hey, it's a year later and she'll be fine but I also don't want to deal with changing wet (or god forbid poopy) pants on the airplane while also wrangling Sierra, if she ends up being too freaked out by the bathroom.

I traveled alone with Lucy and Charlie (3 and 6 mo. at the time) in August. She'd been totally potty trained for like 10 months, I think. I ended up slapping a diaper (one of Charlie's actually - she's tiny and he's huge) on Lucy because there was no way on earth I was going to be able to manage her going to the bathroom on the flight while dealing with an infant. Thank the Lard I did because she had to go halfway through the flight - it took some convincing for her to go in the diaper, but it was far better than any alternative I came up with.

As for toys, she has a MobiGo and played with that a fair amount. Coloring books are always a good option (or an etch-a-sketch). It was hard, though, I won't lie. Nothing kept her attention for very long, and she seemed to cop an attitude to try to get attention away from her little brother.

_________________It's not like I'm busting out my boobie tassles and shouting, "BEHOLD! THE MIRACLE OF LIFE!" - TheCrabbyCrafter

Pinko, hopefully you'll both sleep for some of that time. Or at least Inez. I wish you tons of luck and also that you don't get too stressed about caring what other people think -- baby gotta travel, too!

My advice, fly at night as much as possible. Grey always sleeps at night on me. He is almost 15 months and we have flown a ton already. The last time we flew home and it was during the day he had a hard time. He just wanted to crawl and I was in a window seat. It was awful. This trip we are on now is the last time I am flying with just one seat. My return flight we have two seats and I think just having some space will help. He is a giant.